Digital Forensics Intake Kit

A weak intake creates avoidable back-and-forth. An examiner receives a device, but not the question the examination is meant to answer. The legal authority may be somewhere else. The requested date range is unclear. A known passcode exists, but nobody knows who has it.

The intake form gives the requesting officer or investigator one place to describe the examination in terms an examiner can act on. It emphasizes investigative objectives because “extract the phone” is an action, not a question.

The rest of the kit supports the handoff around the form. The requester guide explains what a useful submission looks like before the device reaches the unit. The implementation guide helps an agency decide what to customize, how to pilot the workflow, where completed requests become records, and how to prevent old copies from lingering after the process changes.

The print PDF is ready for a paper-first handoff. The fillable PDF supports local typing and saving without sending data anywhere. The DOCX files are intentionally editable so a department can add its own routing instructions, approvals, evidence-system fields, legal language, services, and branding. Test the fillable edition in the agency-approved PDF viewer before operational use because save, print, and signature behavior can differ between viewers.

This is a starting framework, not a universal policy or legal form. Review it against local law, agency policy, prosecutor expectations, retention requirements, accessibility obligations, evidence procedures, and the actual services your forensic unit provides before operational use.

Use permission

You may use, modify, reproduce, and distribute an adapted version within your organization for operational, administrative, or training purposes. Attribution is appreciated but not required after adaptation. Do not resell the kit as a standalone item or present an altered version as an official Forge & Verse release.